The Bowerman: 2026 Men’s Watch List, Update #4

NEW ORLEANS – An entire month has passed since the last update to the Men’s Watch List for The Bowerman. All-time performances shook the collegiate track & field world and you better believe most of those athletes who left their mark on the landscape found their way on the chart.

Here are those ten athletes on Update No. 4 of the Men’s Watch List: Kayinsola Ajayi of Auburn, Peyton Bair of Oregon, Simeon Birnbaum of Oregon, Garrett Kaalund of Southern California, Geoffrey Kirwa of Louisville, Samuel Ogazi of Alabama, Tarik O’Hagan of Ole Miss, Colin Sahlman of Northern Arizona, Habtom Samuel of New Mexico, and Ja’Kobe Tharp of Auburn.

Ajayi, who hails from Ikorodu, Nigeria, opened his outdoor season in style, winning the 100 meters at the Tom Jones Memorial in a wind-aided 9.90 (+2.9). During the indoor season, the Auburn standout made history 6.45 seconds at a time in the 60 meters. Ajayi clocked that collegiate record-tying mark twice in winning efforts: first at the SEC Indoor Championships and then again at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships.

Bair, who hails from Kimberly, Idaho, dominated the heptathlon during the indoor season. The Oregon standout ultimately won the combined event crown at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships with 6503 points, becoming just the third man in collegiate history to eclipse 6500 points. That was also the sixth-best score in world history and took down a program record once held by 2010 The Bowerman winner Ashton Eaton – that was also a former world record. Bair has yet to compete outdoors and is rumored to be redshirted.

Birnbaum, who hails from Rapid City, South Dakota, obliterated the collegiate record in the 1500 meters at the Oregon Team Invitational with a 3:31.69. That came two weeks after the Oregon standout registered a 5000-meter PR of 13:19.73 at the Stanford Invitational. Most recently, Birnbaum anchored the Ducks to victory in the distance medley relay at the Penn Relays, then helped them to a runner-up finish in the 4xMile the following day. During the indoor season, Birnbaum finished second in the 3000 meters and assisted the seventh-place DMR at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. Prior to those achievements, Birnbaum completed the 3000-meter, 5000-meter distance double at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Notably, Birnbaum is the 500th unique individual named to The Bowerman Watch List in award history.

Kaalund, who hails from San Antonio, Texas, continued his blistering ways in his outdoor debut at the Mt. SAC Relays. The Southern California standout sprinted to an all-conditions PR in the 100 meters of 9.90 (+2.8) and clocked a wind-aided 200 of 20.10 (+2.7). During the indoor season, Kaalund turned one lap of the track in a jaw-dropping 19.95, becoming just the second man in world history to register a sub-20 second mark indoors. Kaalund got progressively faster as the indoor season wore on: 20.12 in his season opener, 20.06 to win the Big Ten title, and then his 19.95 burner at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships.

Kirwa, who hails from Kapsabet, Kenya, is just the second man in collegiate history to go sub-8:10 in the steeplechase, clocking 8:08.10 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. You might know the other athlete: Henry Rono, who has held the collegiate record at 8:05.4h since 1978. Two weeks before that, the Louisville standout ran a 5000-meter PR of 13:21.49. Kirwa didn’t reach the NCAA DI Indoor Championships and finished outside of the top ten in both the 3000 meters and 5000 meters at the ACC Indoor Championships.

Ogazi, who hails from Kaduna, Nigeria, has had a quiet start to the outdoor season, highlighted by a 200-meter PR of 20.54 at the Crimson Tide Invitational. During the indoor season, the Alabama standout roared into the record book at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships, winning the 400 meters in 44.57, equaling the recognized world record and surging into a tie for third in world history. Ogazi went sub-45 seconds three times this past indoor season, including a 44.72 effort to win the event title at the SEC Indoor Championships.

O’Hagan, who hails from Woonsocket, Rhode Island, is undefeated this outdoor season, having posted four wins in both the hammer throw and shot put. The Ole Miss standout threw a collegiate-leading 20.86m (68-5¼) in the shot two weeks ago at the Virginia Challenge. That came four weeks after he launched the hammer 77.62m (254-8), which ranks him among the top-15 performers in collegiate history. During the indoor season, O’Hagan won the shot put and finished third in the weight throw at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships.

Sahlman, who hails from Newbury Park, California, has competed across four different distances this outdoor season. The Northern Arizona standout opened with a 5000-meter PR of 13:23.12 at the Stanford Invitational, followed that up with an 800-meter PR of 1:44.42 and a 3:36.03 effort in the 1500 meters at the Bryan Clay Invitational, and then anchored NAU’s 4xMile at the Penn Relays. During the indoor season, Sahlman punctuated a record-breaking campaign with two NCAA titles at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. Record-breaking might be putting his indoor season lightly, as he set the collegiate track & field world ablaze back in February when he shattered Paul Ereng’s collegiate record in the 800 meters with his 1:44.70 performance at the NYRR Millrose Games. Sahlman also cracked the all-time top 15 in both the mile and 3000 meters over the course of the season.

Samuel, who hails from Keren, Eritrea, raced twice so far this outdoor season, highlighted by a collegiate record in the 5000 meters of 13:03.47. Two weeks before that, the New Mexico standout won the 10k at the Stanford Invitational in 27:30.51, his fastest in recognized collegiate competition. During the indoor season, Samuel won the 5000 meters in a tactical race at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships. Later in the meet, the New Mexico standout competed in the 3000 meters – and crossed the finish line first – but was disqualified for impeding an opponent. Earlier that season, Samuel delivered several all-time performances: two in the 5000 meters – running 13:05.21 at sea level for the sixth-fastest time in collegiate history, then 13:30.40 at altitude for the fastest collegiate mark ever at altitude – and a collegiate record effort in the 2-mile, taking down a longstanding record held by Henry Rono.

Tharp, who hails from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, hurdled his way to a wind-legal collegiate-leading mark of 13.09 (+0.7) at the Tom Jones Memorial (He is currently second on the qualifying list behind Bradley Franklin’s wind-aided effort of 13.07). Two weeks before that, the Auburn standout ran a PR of 20.61 (+0.2) in the 200 meters and ran leadoff on Auburn’s winning 4×100 relay at the Pepsi Florida Relays. During the indoor season, Tharp smashed Grant Holloway’s collegiate record in the 60-meter hurdles by running 7.32 to win the NCAA title in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That also made him the third-fastest man in world history. Just one round earlier, Tharp ran 7.36, which now ranks as the third-fastest mark in collegiate history.

Seven athletes received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee, but not enough to land on the Watch List: Jayden Davis of Arizona State, Ryan Johnson of Iowa, Rivaldo Marshall of Arkansas, Ralford Mullings of Oklahoma, Chinecherem Nnamdi of Texas A&M, Jonathan Seremes of Texas Tech, and Texas Tanner of Air Force.

The next men’s Watch List is scheduled for May 21.